Irene Iacopi

Last updated

Irene Iacopi is an Italian archaeologist.

In January 2007, Iacopi announced that she had probably found the legendary cave of Lupercal beneath the remains of the House of Augustus, the Domus Livia , on the Palatine Hill, [1] [2] [3] believed by ancient Romans to be the cave, where the twin boys Romulus and Remus were suckled by a she-wolf. Andrea Carandini, a professor of archaeology specialising in ancient Rome, described it as "one of the most important discoveries of all time". [4]

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupercal</span> Cave at the foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome

The Lupercal was a cave at the southwest foot of the Palatine Hill in Rome, located somewhere between the temple of Magna Mater and the Sant'Anastasia al Palatino. In the legend of the founding of Rome, Romulus and Remus were found there by the she-wolf who suckled them until they were rescued by the shepherd Faustulus. Luperci, the priests of Faunus, celebrated certain ceremonies of the Lupercalia at the cave, from the earliest days of the City until at least 494 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romulus and Remus</span> Twin brothers and central characters of Romes foundation myth

In Roman mythology, Romulus and Remus are twin brothers whose story tells of the events that led to the founding of the city of Rome and the Roman Kingdom by Romulus, following his fratricide of Remus. The image of a she-wolf suckling the twins in their infancy has been a symbol of the city of Rome and the ancient Romans since at least the 3rd century BC. Although the tale takes place before the founding of Rome around 750 BC, the earliest known written account of the myth is from the late 3rd century BC. Possible historical bases for the story, and interpretations of its local variants, are subjects of ongoing debate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Livia</span> Wife of Roman emperor Augustus and mother of emperor Tiberius

Livia Drusilla was Roman empress from 27 BC to AD 14 as the wife of emperor Augustus. She was known as Julia Augusta after her formal adoption into the Julian family in AD 14.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roma (personification)</span> Female deity in ancient Roman religion, personification of Rome

In ancient Roman religion, Roma was a female deity who personified the city of Rome and more broadly, the Roman state. She was created and promoted to represent and propagate certain of Rome's ideas about itself, and to justify its rule. She was portrayed on coins, sculptures, architectural designs, and at official games and festivals. Images of Roma had elements in common with other goddesses, such as Rome's Minerva, her Greek equivalent Athena and various manifestations of Greek Tyche, who protected Greek city-states; among these, Roma stands dominant, over piled weapons that represent her conquests, and promising protection to the obedient. Her "Amazonian" iconography shows her "manly virtue" (virtus) as fierce mother of a warrior race, augmenting rather than replacing local goddesses. On some coinage of the Roman Imperial era, she is shown as a serene advisor, partner and protector of ruling emperors. In Rome, the Emperor Hadrian built and dedicated a gigantic temple to her as Roma Aeterna, and to Venus Felix,, emphasising the sacred, universal and eternal nature of the empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palatine Hill</span> Centremost of the seven hills of Rome, Italy

The Palatine Hill, which relative to the seven hills of Rome is the centremost, is one of the most ancient parts of the city; it has been called "the first nucleus of the Roman Empire". The site is now mainly a large open-air museum whilst the Palatine Museum houses many finds from the excavations here and from other ancient Italian sites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domus Aurea</span> Roman Palace

The Domus Aurea was a vast landscaped complex built by the Emperor Nero largely on the Oppian Hill in the heart of ancient Rome after the great fire in 64 AD had destroyed a large part of the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baths of Caracalla</span> Ancient Roman bath, a landmark of Rome, Italy

The Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy, were the city's second largest Roman public baths, or thermae, after the Baths of Diocletian. The baths were likely built between AD 212 and 216/217, during the reigns of emperors Septimius Severus and Caracalla. They were in operation until the 530s and then fell into disuse and ruin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ancient Rome</span> Roman civilisation from the 8th century BC to the 5th century AD

In modern historiography, ancient Rome encompasses the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC, the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic, Roman Empire, and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD.

The Caelian Hill is one of the famous seven hills of Rome.

<i>Domus</i> Roman urban house of upper classes

In ancient Rome, the domus was the type of town house occupied by the upper classes and some wealthy freedmen during the Republican and Imperial eras. It was found in almost all the major cities throughout the Roman territories. The modern English word domestic comes from Latin domesticus, which is derived from the word domus. The word dom in modern Slavic languages means "home" and is a cognate of the Latin word, going back to Proto-Indo-European. Along with a domus in the city, many of the richest families of ancient Rome also owned a separate country house known as a villa. Many chose to live primarily, or even exclusively, in their villas; these homes were generally much grander in scale and on larger acres of land due to more space outside the walled and fortified city.

<i>Insula</i> (building) Ancient Roman apartment buildings

In Roman architecture, an insula was one of two things: either a kind of apartment building, or a city block. This article deals with the former definition, that of a type of apartment building.

Clementina Panella is an Italian archaeologist, a professor at the University of Rome La Sapienza, where she teaches Methodology of Archaeology. She has guided and co-written a number of articles on the commercial pottery of ancient Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Apollo Palatinus</span> Temple founded 28 BCE in Rome, Italy

The Temple of Apollo Palatinus, sometimes called the Temple of Actian Apollo, was a temple of the god Apollo in Rome, constructed on the Palatine Hill on the initiative of Augustus between 36 and 28 BCE. It was the first temple to Apollo within the city's ceremonial boundaries, and the second of four temples constructed by Augustus. According to tradition, the site for the temple was chosen when it was struck by lightning, which was interpreted as a divine portent. Augustan writers situated the temple next to Augustus's personal residence, which has been controversially identified as the structure known as the domus Augusti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pompeii</span> Ancient Roman city near modern Naples, Italy

Pompeii was an ancient city located in what is now the comune of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area, was buried under 4 to 6 m of volcanic ash and pumice in the Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Augustus</span> Domus

The House of Augustus, or the Domus Augusti, is situated on the Palatine Hill in Rome, Italy. This house has been identified as the primary place of residence for the emperor Augustus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domus Augustana</span> Part of the Palace of Domitian, Rome

The Domus Augustana is the modern name given to the central residential part of the vast Roman Palace of Domitian on the Palatine Hill. In antiquity the name may have applied to the whole of the palace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palace of Domitian</span>

The Palace of Domitian was built as Roman emperor Domitian's official residence in 81–92 AD and was used as such by subsequent emperors. Its remains sit atop and dominate the Palatine Hill in Rome, alongside other palaces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palatine Museum</span> Museum in Rome, Italy

The Palatine Museum is a museum located on the Palatine Hill in Rome. Founded in the second half of the 19th century, it houses sculptures, fragments of frescoes, and archaeological material discovered on the hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefighting in ancient Rome</span> Overview of firefighting in ancient Rome

During the Roman Republic, there were watchmen that served as firefighters. They used water buckets to put out fires and axes to tear down buildings near the fire in order to prevent the fire from spreading. The aediles and tresviri nocturni were also employed to fight fires. Roman Emperor Augustus created the Vigiles. The Vigiles were an organization of freedmen that fought fires. They would use buckets and water pumps. Emperor Nero also created "bucket brigades" to help fight fires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domus Tiberiana</span> Imperial Roman palace

The Domus Tiberiana was an Imperial Roman palace in ancient Rome, located on the northwest corner of the Palatine Hill. It probably takes its name from a house built by the Emperor Tiberius, who is known to have lived on the Palatine, though no sources mention his having built a residence. It was enlarged by the successors to Tiberius, and would have been the principal Roman residence of Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero during the early part of his reign. Relatively little is known of the structure archaeologically, since the Farnese Gardens have occupied the site of the main level since the 16th century, making excavation difficult.

References

  1. "The Battle for Rome's Treasures". Newsweek. 2007-12-12. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  2. "Audio News for November 18th to November 24th, 2007". www.archaeologychannel.org. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  3. Hooper, John (2007-11-21). "Rome uncovers its founding moment". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  4. Kiefer, Peter (2007-11-20). "Shedding light on the myth of Rome's birth". New York Times. Retrieved 2018-10-06.